Manhattan, NY - A hulking ex-con on trial for the murder of an 81-year-old Orthodox Jewish man in his Washington Heights apartment building testified that cops bullied him into falsely confessing.

William Hill, 26, told a Manhattan jury he did not kill frail Jacob Gerstle and said he confessed only after cops "roughed me up" and promised to let him go.

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"They promised me my freedom," Hill said when asked by prosecutor Alfred Peterson why he confessed in a written statement and on videotape to a brutal murder he did not commit.

"Who in their right mind would confess to a murder, even if they committed it?" Hill asked.

The defendant insisted his statements were detailed - down to the color of his victim's suit - because detectives "drilled" the confession into him.

The hulking, 6-foot-7 Hill faces murder and robbery charges for the May 2, 2006, beating death of the 5-foot-3 Gerstle. Hill is charged with stealing Gerstle's cell phone and $250 in cash. The father of four died three days after the attack.[nydailynews]

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Feb 01, 2008 at 11:26 AMAnonymous Says:

THIS GUY IS FULL OF BS AT THAT SIZE HARD TO BE BULLIED SEEMS THIS GUY WAS A PERP FROM DAY ONE AND KNOWS HOW TO MANIPULATE THE SYSTEM THE PD WOULD NEVER COERCE A CONFESSION AS THEY KNOW IT COULD BACKFIRE ON THEM